Realities of Socialism

— Aug 17, 2023
Printer-friendly version
The Mirage of Swedish Socialism

The Mirage of Swedish Socialism: The Economic History of a Welfare State finds that despite common misperceptions, middle-class workers in Sweden—a country often celebrated by social democrats in Canada—pay relatively high taxes for Sweden’s large government.

— Jul 20, 2023
Printer-friendly version
The Mirage of Swedish Socialism: The Economic History of a Welfare State

The Mirage of Swedish Socialism: The Economic History of a Welfare State is a pre-release of an upcoming book by the Fraser Institute—part of a new multimedia project, The Realities of Socialism—written by Johan Norberg. It shows that despite mischaracterizations by advocates of socialism outside the country, Sweden actually has a long history of comparatively small government, open markets, and competition, with only a temporary experiment with socialist policies in the 1970s and 80s.

— Jun 15, 2023
Printer-friendly version
The Road to Socialism and Back: An Economic History of Poland, 1939–2019

The Road to Socialism and Back: An Economic History of Poland, 1939–2019, part of a multimedia project (which includes an interactive website), finds that according to many key metrics including incomes and life expectancy, life in Poland improved dramatically after the country transitioned from socialism to a market democracy.

— May 24, 2023
Printer-friendly version
The Road to Socialism and Back: An Economic History of Poland, 1939-2019

The Road to Socialism and Back: An Economic History of Poland, 1939–2019 is a pre-release of an upcoming book by the Fraser Institute—part of a new multimedia project, The Realities of Socialism—that documents how Polish people suffered under socialism, but then prospered after Poland transitioned to a democracy and market economy. This pre-release consists of the first three chapters of the upcoming book by Peter J. Boettke, Konstantin Zhukov and Matthew Mitchell.

— Apr 28, 2023
Printer-friendly version
An Introduction to Socialism vs. Capitalism

An Introduction to Socialism vs. Capitalism, by James R. Otteson, is the latest publication in the Institute’s Realities of Socialism project. This essay sets the terms of the debate between socialism vs. capitalism, detailing how each is properly defined, and allows readers to assess their respective merits and drawbacks.

— Feb 22, 2023
Printer-friendly version
Perspectives on Capitalism and Socialism: Polling Results from Canada, the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom

Perspectives on Capitalism and Socialism: Polling Results from Canada, the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom is a new study that finds more than 4-in-10 Canadians—and 50% of younger Canadians aged 18-24—support socialism as their preferred economic system, but an overwhelming majority define socialism as more government spending and programs, and Canadians generally don’t want to pay the higher taxes required to finance it. The study is part of the Institute’s new multimedia project—Realities of Socialism—that is being produced in conjunction with think tanks in the U.S., Australia and the U.K.

Subscribe to the Fraser Institute

Get the latest news from the Fraser Institute on the latest research studies, news and events.